Problem with epub files and problem with accessibility in TextAloud 4

[adkurz]

Hello,

I'm blind and using TextAloud since last week with the screen reader NVDA. It's a really nice program, especially the acapela TTS Voices are phantastic. Great work! But there are some problems.
1. In epub files, new chapters aren't marked with new lines or anything else, there is only a strange symbol between the chapters and no whitespace. This causes to problems with TTS-Voices, they don't make any pauses between chapters.
Furthermore, it would be great to add the possibility to jump between the chapters of an epub without splitting it to multiple articles or files.
2. Most of the edit fields and combo boxes are very accessible and labeled great, like the in the advanced settings, but there are some fields without a correct associated label, especially in the dictionary manager, in the search and replace dialog or in the audio settings. The prompt for the clipboard actions isn't accessible too.
3. In the spell checker, it would be nice to add shortcuts to the buttons and edit fields to reach and activate them faster and set the focus to the edit field with the misspelled word.
Last but not least, it would be a nice feature to use regular expressions not only in the dictionaries but also in the search and replace function.
I hope my problems was described understandable.
Greetings Adrian Kurz

[BlindGuy99]

Hello Adrian,
As a TextAloud and screen reader user myself, I do not have any feedback about problems 1 and 3 which you mentioned. I can verify, though, your issue using "audio file options" section of TA settings menu. Labels for the edit fields in that section are not spoken when I use NVDA. Interestingly, those fields also don't speak when I tried using them with Narrator. I noticed this in TextAloud version 4.40 and the latest version, 4.41, released today.

[Jim Bretti]

Thanks for the feedback. The next TextAloud update should fix some of the NVDA issues, and also solve the problem with the garbage character inserted between chapters when importing epubs. I'll post here when the update is ready, should be early next week

[Jim Bretti]

There is an update at https://nextup.com/files/ta4.exe that fixes some of the NVDA issues mentioned here, and the problem with the garbage character between chapters when loading epub documents

[BlindGuy99]

I installed the TA 4 update earlier this afternoon. Based on my usage with NVDA, I confirm that the accessibility issue in TextAloud's audio file options dialog has been resolved. I also want to publicly express my appreciation to NextUp for valuing accessibility so that everyone can use TextAloud. Having been a NextUp customer for years, , I know that whenever a screen reader issue is reported to Jim, he works hard to fix it. He is, for those who do not know, the TextAloud programmer in addition to being moderator of the NextUp forum. NextUp, and Jim in particular, are both fantastic in my humble opinion!

[heike]

I installed the TA 4 update earlier this afternoon. Based on my usage with NVDA, I confirm that the accessibility issue in TextAloud's audio file options dialog has been resolved. I also want to publicly express my appreciation to NextUp for valuing accessibility so that everyone can use TextAloud. Having been a NextUp customer for years, , I know that whenever a screen reader issue is reported to Jim, he works hard to fix it. He is, for those who do not know, the TextAloud programmer in addition to being moderator of the NextUp forum. NextUp, and Jim in particular, are both fantastic in my humble opinion!

hi all users and specially all screenreader users like me

i have only been using nvda since december 2019. i have been using textaloud for twelve and a half years and used it before nvda wit dolphin screenreader. and although Jim already knows what i am writing now, i feel the need to agree blindguy99, Jim is the most patient and greatest issue fixer i know.